Potential Antiproliferative and Antimetastatic Effects of Artemisia eriantha: An In Vitro Study Focused on Hepatocarcinoma Cells

Artemisia eriantha is a subendemic species of the Central Apennine, valued locally forits applications in ancient and traditional medicine for its antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic,digestive, and antispasmodic effects. Several of these properties are also found in other specieswithin the same genus, including recent findings highlighting their anti-tumor actions. However,the presence of cytotoxic or anti-tumor activity has never been studied in A. eriantha. The aim of thisstudy was thus to assess the potential anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and antimetastatic effectsof this plant using in vitro models of hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2 and Huh7 cells). Treatmentwith A. eriantha extract (130 μg/mL) resulted in the reduced proliferation of HepG2 and Huh7 cells,driven by the dysregulation of proteins involved in the cell cycle (such as cyclin D1, cyclin E, and p27)and the activation of the p53-p21 pathway, leading to an increase in apoptotic activity. In addition,the treatment also lowered the healing capability after scratch wounds in Huh7 cells, which arecharacterized by a remarkable migratory capacity, suggesting that the A. eriantha extract may also beeffective in controlling the migration and spread of metastatic cells. In conclusion, A. eriantha extract130 μg/mL appears to interfere with key factors of HepG2 and Huh7 cell proliferation and invasionand emerges as a potential new adjuvant for the prevention and/or treatment of hepatocellularcarcinoma. Additional research is necessary to establish if the effects observed are cell-specific and toelucidate the mechanisms of action and signaling pathways underlying its effectiveness.